BERLIN – European leaders expressed confidence yesterday that new austerity measures planned by Greece would be enough to pull the country out of its debt crisis and make any bailout unnecessary.

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DAMASCUS – Iraq’s Sunni Arabs shed their political apathy and voted in force in polls that opened outside the country, ahead of tomorrow’s election.

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SINGAPORE – Singapore raised alert levels in the Asian financial centre and beefed up security at its airport and new casinos after a warning by its navy of possible attacks on oil tankers in a key shipping lane.

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BEIJING – China will seek to heal social rifts and spur home-driven growth with more public welfare and rural spending even as the government tightens its belt after a burst of feverish spending, Premier Wen Jiabao said.

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MOSCOW – Ukraine’s new president Viktor Yanukovich soothed Moscow by suggesting he would reverse key policies of his pro-Western predecessor, but won no public promise that Russia will lower Kiev’s onerous gas bills.